1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to protective electrical circuit devices and more particularly to a circuit breaker adapter that enables a circuit breaker to be utilized in a fuse holder.
2. Background
The United States Navy and Coast Guard have a number of combat ships fitted with highly automated guns that utilize an electrically powered gun mount to control the gun. The Mark gun (MK-75) is a three-inch gun with a range of ten 10 nautical miles and can fire up to eighty rounds per minute. The high level performance guns are lightweight and have low manning requirements. The Mk-75 is well suited for installation on smaller combat vessels, frigates and cutters.
The first United States produced gun mount for the MK-75 was delivered in August 1978. Currently, MK-75 guns are on some guided missile frigates and some Navy hydrofoils. The Coast Guard's cutters are equipped with automated guns MK-75 guns, where the gun mount is remotely controlled. The gun mounts control the train and elevation of the gun, and the protective electrical devices that are a part of the electrically powered gun mount systems are starting to exhibit signs of aging, as evidenced by a higher incidence of blown fuses. This spike in demand has depleted the entire government stock of these legacy parts, which are SCR fuses. Furthermore, the cost and the time to replace are unacceptably too long and high in cost. The United States Navy and Coast Guard need a timely and cost effective solution to keep the electrically powered gun mounts operational.